Heavy rains lash Delhi-NCR, flight operations affected at IGI; IMD issues red alert
Several domestic flights from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Port Blair have been delayed after heavy rainfall in Delhi and nearby areas. IMD has issued a red alert, replacing the previous yellow alert.
Waterlogging at Delhi airport. Passengers stranded
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DELHI and its adjoining areas experienced a rainy afternoon on Friday after dark clouds shrouded the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has upgraded the weather warning for the national capital from yellow to red. The heavy rainfall is expected to be accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.
Heavy to moderate rain in Delhi-NCR
The weather office also forecast moderate rainfall at most places, with heavy rainfall of 50-100 mm at a few places, along with thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, over the next three hours.
Another spell of light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning at most places between 5 pm and 8 pm is also predicted. Some areas might see heavy rain at that time as well.
Flights delayed
Flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have been affected by the heavy rainfall, reported ANI. Domestic flights arriving in Delhi have been delayed, including those from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Port Blair.
Nine flights were diverted including four to Jaipur, four to Lucknow and one to Ahmedabad, due to the bad weather in Delhi on Friday between 1530 hrs and 1630 hrs.
Along with Delhi, Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad are also under an orange alert by the IMD, according to the latest update on the weather department's website at around 3:30 pm.
Haryana's Gurugram, however, had no specific warning at the time.
According to the IMD, Palam recorded 3.4 mm of rain between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm today. While Najafgarh received 0.5 mm between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, other monitoring stations recorded no rainfall during the same time.
Temperature today
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 25.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, 0.1 degrees above normal, added data from Palam. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 27.6 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal.
The Ridge recorded a minimum temperature of 23.7 degrees Celsius, which was 0.5 degrees below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 27 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees above the usual.
The maximum temperature in Delhi was expected to be around 32 degrees Celsius. Humidity was at 75% during the morning hours today.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Delhi has experienced a wetter-than-normal August this year. The national capital recorded 354.1 mm of rainfall between August 1 and August 30 till 5:30 pm, more than 120 mm above the IMD's long-period average (LPA) of 233.1 mm for the month, as per the report's data.
However, Delhi had also recorded excess rainfall in August in 2025 and 2024, receiving 400.81 mm and 390.3 mm of rain, respectively.
Before these, Delhi had recorded 237 mm of rainfall during August 2020, crossing the monthly LPA.
